Suspected North Korean body found floating off Niigata

NIIGATA – A near skeletal male body that authorities suspect originated in North Korea was found floating off the coast of Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The clothing on the body, found at around 3:30 p.m. by a man walking along the shore, had a badge pinned to it that appears to depict the faces of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the police said.

A total of about $290 was found in the deceased’s pocket, but no items to confirm his identity have been discovered, according to the police.

The body measures around 1.5 meters in length and was wearing an orange-colored life jacket and a work outfit.

In the past, wooden boats and bodies believed to have originated in North Korea have washed ashore on the Sea of Japan coast.